The Burning of New York
Log Title: The Burning of New York Characters: Calhoun Burns, Major Bludd, Sgt. Sideswipe, Surefire, Viper 4991, Zandar, Zarana Location: New York/New Jersey, North America Date: 18 October 2016 TP: America Burning TP Summary: One of several newly-well-armed biker gangs, interspersed with Vipers and Dreadnoks, rushes into New York City in an attempt to burn the whole place to the ground. Category:2016 Category:America Burning TP Category:Logs ''As logged by '' Major Bludd New York/New Jersey - North America The Appalachian Mountains begin their trek southward from here, stretching through the Altantic Coast like a backbone. As you move out of the mountains, the terrain begins to smoothen out, becoming rolling hills before finally flattening into the coastal areas. New York is the most prominent state here, with its urban areas like New York City towering over the rest of New England with steel and concrete structures. New Jersey, the slightly-deprived sister-state of New York has become known largely as a bedroom community for those that work in New York, but can't afford to live there. Zarana lurks under a bridge on the Jersey side of the New York border. In the near distance the city of New York shines, as tempting a target as any. Further under the bridge is a small team of Vipers, trying to stay out of the way of the nasty Dreadnok in black. The rumble of bike engines grows louder as gang members begin to converge on the spot, each armed to the teeth with pretty heavy-duty weapons for common criminals. Zarana smiles to see them arrive, and steps out of the shadows to meet them. Zandar meanwhile, arrives alone. He's dressed in drab colors that would blend into the urban environment and his hair is its natural auburn color. He skids to a stop and dismounts his motorbike. Seeing Zarana--with black hair?!--he approaches with a huge smile and moves to embrace his twin sister, "We're just waiting on Hannibal's word." he informs her, "It's so good to see you. I promise this won't disappoint." Zarana seems in good spirits, for her, and even allows her brother to hug her in front of strangers -- wow, she IS in a good mood! She returns the hug, and stands back. "How could this disappoint? We're going to set the city on fire!" She raises a gloved fist, and the gathered bikers cheer, raising their own weapons in the air. "Any final orders, good brother?" she says half-mockingly of the unusually-out-in-the-open Zandar. The bikers cheer again, this time even louder. One of them fires off his rifle in the air. Zarana strides over to him, and he gives her a wide grin, showing off the fact that he's missing a few of his front teeth. Zarana helps loosen a few more, as she hauls off and punches him right off his bike. "Idiot!" she yells, walking around the bike to kick him with a steel-toed boot while he's down. "You wanna draw the cops on us before we ride?" She kicks him again, hard, and the bikers' cheers die to an awkward quiet. Something's keeping all the taxicabs busy tonight, because it's not every day Sebastian Bludd takes a bus, even when he's going incognito. He grumbles under his breath as he approaches a bus stop on foot, digging in his pants pocket for his wallet for fare. The sound of a not-so-distant gunshot grabs his attention, and he looks around for its source as a bus, possibly even the one he's waiting for, rounds a corner a few blocks away and heads in his direction. Zandar leans in to whisper something to his trusted sister, hoping like all hell he doesn't get a fist in the mouth and damage her morale. Zandar mutters to Zarana, "... me with this.... an... leader.. If... would question... if the... you... what..." Zarana stops kicking for a moment, and looks up at her brother. Surprisingly, she just nods, and then heads back to the front of the pack of bikers. "Now," she says, at the biker she attacked rolls around on the ground in pain. "They'll be plenty of time for shooting, and looting, and burning, once we get the signal. But if any one of you brings the cops in on us before we're ready to move, I will break your ugly faces -- understand me?" She glares at the burly men on bikes, daring any of them to defy her. Bludd glances in the direction he thinks the shots came from. Perhaps it's just a random shooting, like the ones reported in the first few minutes of any news broadcast in the US. But it might be Cobra's party getting warmed up. He turns most of his attention to the approaching bus, but keeps his eyes and ears open for signs he needs to react to. Zarana, Zandar, and a bunch of bikers are gathered under a bridge just on the Jersey side of the New York border, with the city nearby in sight. A few Vipers lurk further in the shadows, trying to stay out of sight until called upon. A black Corvette slowly cruises into the area, its occupants unseen in the dark. The bikers start to look restless, awaiting word to start burning, looting, and pillaging just on the other side of the New Jersey/New York perimeter. In the Corvette, Surefire eases the safety off his rifle, gazing out the window as the car slowly rolls towards the bikers. "There they are. Slow up." He does a quick count. "I spot 15 of them, heavily armed, and it looks like Zandar and Zarana are with them -- no sign of Zartan. They look ready to move. If they take off, we'll have to stop them before they reach the city. Let me out here and I'll attempt to make an arrest." Sgt. Sideswipe , the young Joe quasi-rookie takes his safety off the pistol. In his backpack is his medic kit. It's slightly bulky, and may be prone to getting snared, but that's the cost of being a medic. He says quietly "Get in, cuff 'em, and haul ass out of the area." The sight of that Corvette gets Viper 4991's trigger finger itching. No, wait, that's just a regular itch. Actually he just wants to get right the hell out of here, but he's been at this game long enough to know what happens when you up and bail. So he stays pressed up against the wall of one of the bridge supports, waiting quietly and trying not to freak out and start shooting wildly. Pulling up Cal lets Raven's passenger door open up and nods to Surefire "You round 'em up. I'll tie 'em down. If needs be I can net any that try to break free from the herd." Cal assumes they know about the immobiliser discs as part of Raven's compliment. Nodding to Sgt. Sideswipe in the back seat, he adds, "You staying or riding shotgun?" Major Bludd is not in sight but is nearby, within earshot of the motorcycle gang, though he doesn't know just where they are, or even that they're a motorcycle gang. He's grumpily awaiting the arrival of a bus in the absence of a proper taxicab, though he's heard a gunshot and is alert to trouble. In the Corvette, Surefire looks back at Sideswipe in the tiny back seat with all his gear, and smiles. "You got it. Burns, back me up if it gets ugly." He nods at Calhoun's offer to round up any that try to escape from the herd, and then slips out of the car, leaving the door open for Sideswipe to either follow or move to the front seat. Surefire approaches the gang, moving from cover to cover, but not making any attempt to be stealthy. Sgt. Sideswipe climbs to the front seat, squeezing into the front seat - he's almost sickly healthy, but still, a Corvette doesn't allow for too much wiggle room. "I'll ride shotgun, sir - in case there is a VERY unlikely chance I'll have to provide driving support." Sgt. Sideswipe 's eyes intensely scan the area - one advantage that can also be a disadvantage for this newbie - virtually every experience is a new one for combat missions. This one...urban warfare with lots of civilians! Zarana glances at Zandar, ready to let him give the order for the gangs to move out. But then she spots movement -- first the car, and then the incoming cop. Before she can open her mouth, Surefire raises his rifle and yells, "Freeze! We have you surrounded," he bluffs. "Drop your weapons and move out from under the bridge with your hands up!" The bikers look at each other and laugh, some of them revving the engines of their bikes while others chamber rounds in their weapons. GAME: Sgt. Sideswipe PASSES a COURAGE roll of High difficulty. Sgt. Sideswipe 's hairs from the back of his neck rise, but he seems to be more angry than scared at the lack of respect shown by the bikers. "Heyah! You guys deaf?! Drop your weapons!" GAME: Zandar PASSES a COURAGE roll of Average difficulty. Sgt. Sideswipe frowns and sees the clear 'revving' of aggression of the biker gang. He pulls out a flare gun and aims it near the center of the gang, hoping to disburse them. "Stay back! I mean it!" "NOW!!" Zandar shouts at the top of his lungs. He raises his fist and lowers it sharply, giving Hannibal's command to strike. There's no way they're surrounded. And even if they were, Zandar could always disappear. Pumped full of adrenaline, Zandar awaits havoc to be delivered upon the city of New York. And at his--Hannibal's--command! >> Sgt. Sideswipe strikes Biker Gang with Flare Gun. << Sgt. Sideswipe jumps as he hears Zandar's shot - that startled him! So much so that he accidentally 'fires' the flare gun, only hoping to have had that flare used as a scare tactic... Sgt. Sideswipe winces as he sees what he JUST did - not exactly the best of Joe protocol - stirring a hornets nest. He calls out nervously to Surefire "sorry! Sorry!" Zarana certainly isn't going to surrender to any cop. As her brother gives the order, she jumps onto her Doom Cycle and revs up the front-mounted machine guns. "You made a big mistake coming here, coppers!" she yells. "And your early-model Corvette SUCKS!" Spinning up her guns, she opens fire, raking bullets towards (and, she hopes, across) Calhoun's Raven. She throws her head back and laughs as she fires, barely even looking where she's shooting. >> Doom Cycle fails its generic combat roll against Raven. << Raven targets Biker Gang with its weapons. The computer beeps. "Target acquired." Well, there's the order to attack. Having been instructed to hold off the Joes while the bikes do their thing, Viper 4991 takes a deep breath and then jumps out of hiding, yelling ferociously (mostly in terror, actually) as he just blazes away with his laser rifle, bolts of red hot pain searing through the air... mostly into the emptiness of the sky, but hey, it's intimidating! Maybe? The sounds of battle reach the nearby bus stop. An old woman carrying a pair of cloth shopping bags full of groceries and a pair of young men in hoodies startle as the sounds of automatic weapons-fire drift toward them. Bludd's no stranger to the sound, and in a move most civilians would find ridiculously suicidal, he begins to jog away from the bus stop -toward- the sound of guns. As the biker gang roars to life, Surefire targets the leader of this whole mess -- who, surprisingly enough, seems to be Zandar. Who would have thought he had it in him? As Sideswipe distracts the bikers with a flare gun, Surefire aims at Dreadnok camouflage expert. Maybe he should have stayed in hiding. Still, Zandar isn't aiming a gun at him, so Surefire doesn't feel justified going for a killshot. Instead, he loads a teargas canister and fires it Zandar's way. >> Surefire attacks Biker Gang, Viper 4991, and Zandar with Teargas, striking Viper 4991, Biker Gang, and Zandar. << Zandar hops on his bike and roars off after Zarana, keeping his com open. In one hand is his M9, which he fires off blindly toward Surefire. The teargas stings, and he curses loudly as tears run from his burning eyes, <> >> Zandar strikes Surefire with M9 . << At least the Vipers have helmets -- the biker gang, however, are not so lucky. Spooked by the flare gun and then choked with tear gas, many of the bikers fall to the ground, coughing and clutching their burning eyes. The toughest among them, however, hold onto their guns, and then open fire on the Raven, trying to take out their biggest target. "This is bullshit!" yells one. "We're supposed to be the ones dishing out the damage!" yells another. >> Biker Gang misses Raven with Ballistic . << Raven kicks into forward gear. In a forward run followed by a smooth lazy turn round and round the bikers just like rounding up wild steer. As a hint a small shot from the underside cannon's fired towards the front wheel of the bikes to calm some and settle down. Zarana scowls at she misses the car, not used to the Doom Cycle's kick. "You got it, brother," she yells, and then waves to those bikers still on their hogs. "Follow me to victory!" she yells with a laugh, and puts the Doom Cycle in gear, rolling out from under the bridge and leading a contingent of bikers towards the city. She pulls out her personal rifle and fires it towards the sky as she rides -- no use in trying to be stealthy now. Viper 4991's efforts to be intimidating go practically unnoticed by the Joes (and cop?), but they do get him a dose of tear gas. And wouldn't you know it, he forgot to properly secure his helmet this morning, so some of that gas manages to make it up into his breathing space, causing the poor mook to start tearing up incessantly and coughing. But he doesn't dare take off his helmet, no, that'd just be foolhardy! Instead, he pulls a grenade from his belt and yanks the pin out, tossing it roughly in the direction of the Raven as it circles around, trying to blow its tires out from under it. Bludd hears approaching motorcycles and ducks into an alley, hoping to avoid gaining their attention while observing their effect on the civilians unfortunate enough to be in their path. Surefire flinches as one of Zandar's wild bullets hits its mark, bypassing Surefire's armor and getting him at a weak point on the shoulder. Oh, now it's on! He sets aside the teargas launcher and pulls out his own sidearm, kneeling to aim carefully before squeezing off a shot at Zandar. The Dreadnoks aren't getting away from him that easily -- not after all this time he's been hunting them unsuccessfully. >> Surefire misses Zandar with Pistol . << "Dreadnoks, if you can, KILL THEM!!" he shouts to the remaining Dreadnoks struck by teargas. Still cursing under his breath, Zandar hears Surefire's shot and, leaping from his wildly speeding bike, rolls into the shadow of an alley and conceals himself, waiting for this damnable tear gas to wear off. *KAPOW* Some of the Raven's underside cannon's fire takes out a few of the gang's bikes. Those bikers are left beating feet alongside the Vipers as they head into the city, attempting to leave the Joes behind. Civilians scramble as the other bikers continue to fire on the car, directing their bikes with one hand while shooting with the other. You can almost hear the Road Warrior soundtrack playing. Then the Viper's grenade bounces off the front of the Raven directly into the mass of bikers, and they scream and spread out before BOOM! it explodes behind them. >> Biker Gang misses Raven with Ballistic . << Raven> The same plating that makes Raven watertight doubles as some limited armor for the car. Although Cal's able to dodge the grenade he's not far enough away to escape the blast entirely. The force buckles some of the plating into Raven's rear right axle, already a complicated setup to drive, fly and go on or below the waterline. With a screech the car jots to a sudden stop and, moments later, the passenger door's kicked open and Cal climbs out taking stock and cover behind the car. Luckily Raven didn't become an airtight tomb but, for now, she's out of this little to do. Zarana nods at her brother's suggestion and hits the brakes, taking the Doom Cycle in a 180 spin before slamming the three-wheeler in reverse, driving it backward as she unloads its machine guns directly towards the agile little Corvette. "You Joes should never have started firing at my brother. Now I'm going to take those guns and make you eat them!" She holds down the triggers on both cannons, trying hard to hit the Raven even as it jolts to a sudden stop and Calhoun climbs out. >> Doom Cycle strikes Raven with Ballistic . << Viper 4991 is still coughing, and can't really see if his grenade did all that much good. Regardless, it's a good distraction! Right? Whatever, he's mostly focused on trying to find some cover to duck behind and recover from the tear gas. It's certainly getting loud around here. Bludd grudgingly acknowledges the effectiveness of the Dreadnoks' wild, reckless attacks as he watches civilians scatter in advance of the onrushing cycles. Those who are quick enough to avoid being run down are easy pickings for the gang members following behind on foot. Who would have thought such chaos could be created simply by giving a bunch of thugs bigger guns? It's not a force Bludd would want to lead, but it's definitely having an effect. One of the gang members slows to a stompy walk as he's about to pass by the alley where Bludd is watching on. The big, gap-toothed biker seems to have lost the advanced firepower bestowed on him by Cobra, and wields a length of heavy chain as a weapon. His gaze sweeps the mouth of the alley and settles on Bludd. He swings the end of the chain, setting it spinning as he stumps toward what he thinks is just another hapless civilian seeking cover from the Dreadnok storm. Surefire curses as Zandar leaps off his bike and disappears, and the Vipers manage to ground the Raven. As other Vipers, emboldened by 4991's actions, target his position, Surefire is forced to change his tactics and deal with them first, even if it means the gang gets a lead on getting away. Surefire targets the most active member of the group -- Viper 4991. Keeping as much as his body behind cover as he can, he leans out just enough to draw a bead, and fires upon 4991 as the Viper tries to duck and find some cover to recover from the teargas. >> Surefire strikes Viper 4991 with Pistol . << The rest of the bikers scream in joy and rage as they pour into the city. Some throw Molotov cocktails into storefront windows, laughing with glee at the fiery explosions. The ones on foot growl at passersby, watching them run, and take baseball bats to cars whether they're occupied or not. Some of the more heavily-armed ones leave their bikes and climb to higher positions, using the rifles for live-action target practice. Peals of laughter drift down into the chaos. The gang member unluckily enough to have beset upon a disguised Bludd stares dully at his target, a slack-jawed grin spreading across his tanned, scarred face. "You're in the wrong place at the wrong time, old man," he laughs. "This is our town, now!" He lets the length of chain spin a second or two more, and then swings it around at Bludd, hoping to catch him on the side of his head. Wonder how far can knock those glasses off his head? >> Biker Gang strikes Major Bludd with Bash. << The other Vipers, encouraged by 4991's efforts, join the fray, spraying the Raven with lead and trying to chew through to target Calhoun behind his cover. Others shoot at Surefire, trying to keep him pinned down so the Dreadnoks and the biker gang can escape. "Cobra!" one of them yells, until the others stare at him through their helmets and he quiets down and just focuses on shooting. Sadly, although the teargas doesn't affect them directly, the accumulated smoke under the bridge is making targeting enemies difficult. Even getting out's a rougher ride than he intended. There's a further jolt of impact and it's raining bullets. Waiting for the current hail to stop Cal times standing and acting in the finest MASK traditions. As anyone who has watched the old videos would know... the strength of your one liner is the strength of your attack. Seeing the crowd Calhoun says, standing strong, "All of you to handle little ol' me? Seems a bit big of you. Let me even things up. Cut you down to size! GULLIVER! SHRINK!" Then the geometric field tries to form and get a lock on Zarana and any Vipers in the fields range. >> Surefire fails his generic combat roll against Doom Cycle. << Most of the tear gas has worn off Zandar by now. The Dreadnok peers out from his hiding place to see Zarana getting shot at! Worry and rage assail him at once. But, before he opens fire, Zandar silently slips from where he's hiding and moves behind a large garbage bin. He readies his arrow rifle at Sureshot--Zarana can take care of herself after all, and if things turn ugly, he can always protect her. He doesn't fire, yet. Waits to get to a good distance. Zandar fades into the shadows without a sound. Zarana laughs as the Raven skids to a stop, as if she had something to do with it and not that nameless Viper with the grenade. She continues firing at the Raven until she runs out of ammo, and then hits the brakes again, swerving to a stop and jumping off the bike. Leaving the gang to wreck the city she retrieves her buzzsaw rifle and starts stalking towards Calhoun. "Hey! You in the weird mask!" she yells. "Wanna play?" She jumps as Burns gives his one-liner and fires a beam at her. She dodges out of the way, and fires with her rifle, trying to tag Calhoun before he tries that again. >> Zarana strikes Calhoun Burns with Ballistic . << He shot some sort of mask-beam at us! How rude! The Viper squad take cover behind some of the bridge's support structures. The biker gang may be on a tear throughout the city, but the Vipers are stuck here, dealing with the Joes. They divide their fire between Calhoun and Surefire, trying to keep both pinned down and trying not to get shot or... whatever they hell that mask beam does. That can't be good. >> Viper Squad 1426 misses Calhoun Burns with Laser . << >> Viper Squad 1426 strikes Surefire with Laser . << The blow lands more quickly and with greater force than Bludd had anticipated. "Never underestimate your enemy," he thinks as he's clocked soundly upside the head with the biker's chain. The force of the strike unbalances him and he falls, rolling automatically and coming up in a crouch. The sunglasses do indeed fly from his head, shattering with a sharp crack of plastic and vanishing off into the deeper shadows of the alley. Bludd's hand darts into his jacket and retrieves the pistol from his shoulder holster. He gazes up at the biker with a sadistic, almost gleeful grin, the light from a nearby streetlamp highlighting the scarred ruins of his left eye as a thick trickle of blood crawls past it. "I been livin' the civilian's life too long," he tells the biker in a lazy drawl, aiming the pistol at the man's head. "Been ages since I seen brains on the outside o'somebody's head." >> Major Bludd strikes Biker Gang with M9 . << Surefire is pinned down as the Vipers converge on him. One of their laser blasts burn through the sleeve of his shirt and into his arm, and the bacony smell of red-hot flesh makes Surefire wince as he tears up in pain. Not letting that stop him, however, he aims for the Viper that shot him and squeezes out a short burst, desperate to take them down fast to he can pursue the real goals -- stopping those bikers from burning down New York City! >> Surefire misses Viper Squad 1426 with Rifle . << The gang member facing Bludd smiles broadly as he clocks the mercenary on the side of the head -- but his pleasure turns to shock as instead of just dying like he should, the man pulls out a gun and shoots at his face. The biker winches back just enough to keep from dying instantly, but the bullet still blows through his cheek and out his left ear, knocking the biker back and nearly killing him from shock. The biker grabs the side of his head and gurgles as blood pours from the side of what used to be his face. Behind him in the streets, his fellow gang members continue to burn and riot, laughing wildly, completely unaware as their friend crumples to the ground, life running out from between the fingers of his left hand. (no attack) It takes precious time to build the field that allows Gulliver to start converting mass. Hit by a ricochet to the face collapses the field and the shot to his MASK means he's not confident he'll be able to recalibrate it. Yeah he's tastitng blood, his own, but no time for whining, there's work to be done. Sliding up to the front right tyre of Raven, Cal reaches under the bonnet and sparks the weapons systems from under the hood. The left hubcap flips down to reveal a gun which fires in Zarana's direction. Hopefully. >> Calhoun Burns critically strikes Zarana with Laser ! << The stealthily moving Dreadnok switches focus--his twin is being attacked and Zandar is compelled to respond. He moves into the shadow of a brick stairwell and carefully aims his arrow rifle at her attacker, Calhoun Burns. Zandar fires an arrow at him, expecting it to hit. He snarls and wants to run to her aid, but knows he'll just get a fist to the face for his trouble! Zarana leaps out of the way of the Gulliver beam, and lands lightly to the side of the street, firing back and hitting Calhoun. Seeing him slide up to the Raven, she laughs, calling out, "It's no use! You're not getting that thing running again! You're trapped here with us! I'm going to take that stupid mask and shove it right up your -- AGHH!" Zarana collapses to her knees as the Raven's gun fires right through her side -- apparently 'armor' and 'bare midriff' don't go too well together. Who knew? She holds the wound as her eyes screw shut in pain, less worried about the possibility of dying and more concerned about the possibility of crying in front of her brother. Well as it would happen, Viper 4991 only really suffered a glancing shot to the head! If not for his helmet, he'd probably be dead now, but on the other hand, the impact left him dazed and sprawled on the ground for a minute or two. As he finally manages to regain his senses, he scrambles to get back up to his feet and picks up his laser rifle again, looking for Calhoun to snap off a quick retaliatory shot. "COBRAAAAA!" >> Viper 4991 misses Calhoun Burns with Laser . << The grin on Bludd's face falters for a moment as he watches the biker collapse. The gun lowers to his side and he stands there, staring uncertainly at the sight of the man dying before him. Without really thinking about it, he engages the safety on his sidearm and replaces it in its holster, then turns to walk deeper into the alley, his appetite for violence seemingly whetted for now. The other Vipers crouch down behind cover, letting the poorly-named 'Surefire''s bullets ricochet harmlessly off the metal bridge supports. Hearing the rallying cry of " COBRAAAAA!" from 4991, one of the Vipers, 1104, is inspired, and makes a run for Surefire's position. Halfway there, 1104 tosses a grenade, and then dives for cover as the other Vipers provide suppression fire. The grenade bounces over Surefire's cover and nearly in his lap... >> Viper Squad 1426 misses Surefire with Grenade. << Surefire sees the grenade drops down next to him and kicks at it in near panic. He sends it away from him in one direction as he jumps the other way, half-leaping over the hood of an abandoned car as he desperately puts distance between himself and the thrown explosive. As it detonates, Surefire closes his eyes a moment and focuses through the ringing in his ears. He sees Vipers approaching him to mop up, and he shakily raises his pistol, firing at the closest one in an attempt to keep them away. >> Surefire strikes Viper Squad 1426 with Pistol . << From behind the car Cal says in a cool collected drawl, "Why thank you ma'am. That gives me an idea. Thank you kindly." Reaching under the bonnet he grabs leads from the battery and plugs them into Gulliver's auxiliary port. He whispers into his mask, as if calming a spooked horse, ready to throw him, trying to encourage the object like he would the "Come on. Just one field. You can do it. Easy now..." He then stands and aims again. "GULLIVER! GROW!" This time he's looking to grow the ground beneath the feet trio attacking him. Zarana shudders as the ground slowly starts growing beneath her. Rather than throw her off, this actually gets her to her feet. Pressing through the pain in her side, she stands and gabs her rifle, lifting it shakily. She then runs down the new hill towards Cal and his crashed car. Her scream of rage grows louder as she runs. By the time she reaches the bottom of the small Gulliver-created mountain she has emotional and physical momentum that she throws completely at Cal with a stab of her bayonet. >> Zarana misses Calhoun Burns with Slice. << Zandar stares at his sister, watching her fall and remain crouched. ZARANA!! he bites down on the urge to call out. Terror engulfs him. If she dies--No, he cannot even think of that right now. He pulls the pin on a grenade attached to his belt and throws it in Calhoun Burns' direction. Careful to avoid Zarana--but too upset to make a perfect aim. Having given the rallying cry, Viper 4991 feels a little better now that the other Vipers have started to join the attack. With his laser rifle not really doing much good, he instead goes to rush Calhoun down, letting out a loud cry as he tries to bowl the MASK crusader over with a big boot to the chest. >> Viper 4991 misses Calhoun Burns with Kick. << The other Vipers approach Surefire, hoping to finish him off while he's down. The closest moves in, reaching for the Joe MP -- only to have his head thrown back and his visor spiderweb as Surefire shoots him point-blank in the face. The others back off as Surefire keeps firing, retreating to cover positions and hastening to fire back. They spread out and try to triangulate fire, hoping to pin Surefire in the middle. >> Viper Squad 1426 misses Surefire with Rifle . << Surefire notices them trying to pen him in, and rather than retreat, charges instead. Drawing his knife, he leaps at the closest Viper and slashes down at the shoulder of the Viper's gun arm, hoping to do some serious damage and then move into the next one, keeping them off-guard and unable to effectively shoot back at him without risking hitting each other. Surefire has gotten quiet as the fight has gotten desperate, offering none of the witty one-liners he relies on Calhoun to provide. >> Surefire strikes Viper Squad 1426 with Knife. << Sgt. Sideswipe comes to after being knocked out. The smoke of the battle he's just waking up to, and the surreal 'slow-motion' of an intense firefight disorients him for a second until he sees an injured Surefire. Feeling his backpack full of medical supplies, he charges toward Surefire, hoping to drag him to safety, but first...cover. He summons a Flare_Gun (again!) and shoots it near the Vipers to give Surefire some protection. >> Sgt. Sideswipe strikes Viper Squad 1426 with Flare Gun. << This... is getting out of hand. a blade whizzes past him, cutting the cables attaching him to Ravens battery, an explosive charge to be jumped past and landing to roll and avoid having his chest crushed by a stamping viper boot. Okay. Redoubling momentum, spinning and getting puchase on thin air he stands. Within the privacy of his helm he says in a quiet, yet strained, voice,"MASK. Full. Power. Gulliver. Shrink. If you'd be so kind. I won't get a chance to ask y'all again." Maybe a valley'll do what the mountain cannot. "Hey y'all!" Cal calls, "A distraction!" Maybe reduce the ratio to one of this fight. And he'd better. No-ones this lucky for this long. >> Calhoun Burns attacks Zandar, Viper 4991, and Zarana with Gulliver, striking Zarana. << Zarana slashes in rage at Calhoun, cutting the cables powering his mask from the Raven's battery. There's an explosion nearby, and the flying foot of a Viper's Big Boot -- all of which were barely noticed in Zarana's white-hot rage. Suddenly, however, her eyes widen in confusion as this time, from her perspective, it's not just the ground that gets bigger -- it's the car, and Cal, and the Viper, and... From everyone else's perspective, Zarana shrinks rapidly down to the size of a Barbie -- a really punk, trashy Barbie that they could only sell at truck stops. (no attack, obviously) She shouts in anger and unbridled fury, but it can only be heard as a tiny squeak... Zandar sneaks from his hiding place, using, not stealth, but simply his sheer lack of, well, palpable presence, to circle the battle and come up behind Calhoun, knife drawn. He prepares to garrote Zarana's attacker. The Dreadnok looks at his sister, baffled and horrified and wanting to scoop her up into safety. He draws a very thin piece of wire from his belt and tries to garrote Calhoun from behind. >> Zandar misses Calhoun Burns with Garrote. << Whoops, Viper 4991's attempt at a Big Boot didn't pay off, and he ends up sailing right past Calhoun and falling flat on his face. However, as the ground starts to form a deep valley beneath him, he quickly rolls away, just barely outpacing Gulliver's effect. Once he's safely out of the way, he springs to his feet and draws a knife! And, after looking down and considering the unsteady terrain between him and Calhoun, he just flings the blade at Cal instead. Because screw trying to navigate that mess! >> Viper 4991 misses Calhoun Burns with Knife. << >> Viper Squad 1426 misses Surefire with Bash. << >> Surefire critically strikes Viper Squad 1426 with Kick! << Viper 5511 cries out as Surefire stabs him in the shoulder, and Viper 581 shrieks as she's hit with a flare gun. Chaos ensues, and the Vipers attempt to close the distance. They strike at Surefire, using their rifle butts as clubs. Surefire glances up with relief as he sees Sideswipe coming, however, and rallies at the sight of reinforcements. He lashes a kick out at one viper, and then grabs another, smashing her helmet-first into a third. "Glad you're OK, Sideswipe," he breathes, taking a step forward to plant a fist into a fourth Viper's gut. "I was afraid you'd gotten hurt." Surefire looks at Sideswipe. "The gang has made it to the city. Get there and see who you can help. We'll join you as soon as we've tidied up these clowns.' Sgt. Sideswipe kneels down to Surefire and drops his backpack full of medical supplies. He gives a resigned sigh, knowing what he has to do. He nods, "I'll be in radio contact..." He then gets up and crouches down, making his way into the city. A sensor tips Cal off he's being approached from behind. MASKs are useful for many things. Ducking at the critical moment, then rolling away from an incoming knifeblade Calhoun says to the Viper, "If you'd be so kind, I'll have to put you down just momentarily." He then springs backup to deliver a MASK wearing, armored headbutt to Zandar. He doesn't have time to say that, maybe, if anyone wants him to reverse Gulliver's effect and be returned to their normal size, instead of waiting near indefinitely, maybe they should, y'know, ask nicely. >> Calhoun Burns misses Zandar with Smash. << As people continue to combat above her, Zarana has a bit of a freak-out. She's one tough woman, it's true, but this is something a bit much even for Zarana's cast-iron psyche. She runs under the Raven, deathly afraid of being stepped on accidentally in the chaos above. Die in a knife fight? Sure. Bring it. Stepped on by a Viper? That is NOT how she will meet her end. She calls up to her brother, but her tiny voice goes unheard over the scuffle. Instead she crouches down near the tire, fearfully watching the fight. Well darn, even the knife throwing lessons have failed 4991 here! "Yeah well, uh... your powers are lame!" he snaps back at Calhoun, before drawing his rifle and letting loose with a few shots at the MASK wearer. Because, hey, Zandar totally needs the help, right? >> Viper 4991 misses Calhoun Burns with Rifle . << The other Vipers continue to surround Surefire, trying to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. >> Viper Squad 1426 misses Surefire with Punch. << Surefire responds by sliding a large flashlight out of its housing on his waist, and using it as a bludgeon to smash the elbows and helmets of the Vipers around him. The pain in his shoulder and upper arm fades as he focuses all his attention on winning this fight. He's no Duke or Snake-Eyes, but he'd had a lot of experience handling the criminal element and he's not about to be taken down by these guys. >> Surefire strikes Viper Squad 1426 with Flashlight. << Yeah. Armored MASK? The fist connects almost unnoticed. Cal says coolly, "Your sister? Well now. I could do the gentlemanly thing..." Cal says as he steps slowly and neatly to the side, picking up the knife flung at him earlier and speaking in a calm simple drawl he continues, "... and restore her. If you call off the goon squad here and now. Or we can see what happens..." Cal bends and flexes as a bullet whizzes past. So Cal flings the knife at the Viper. Returning it's only fair after all. "Where was I? Oh. What happens... if I give her a second dose. I was told never to do it. No one ever survived. So I was told. But they're not here... and I most certainly am." >> Calhoun Burns strikes Viper 4991 with Knife. << Zandar is torn, between loyalties and deeper loyalties. To Hannibal and to Zarana. The struggle is evident on his face. He's an inexperienced leader, tasked with a major, lofty goal... but his twin sister has been... he doesn't even know what happened to her. He saw her duck next to the tire and rushes from Calhoun to collect her up. He reaches for her, holding her close to his chest as he picks her up to safety, "No way," Zandar responds icily, "By now, New York is being razed! Now, restore her..." he hisses, holding her close. Zarana stares upward as Calhoun and her brother discuss her ultimate fate. With her tiny ears, she can't even understand them, and with the change in her eyes she's having trouble seeing clearly as well, at least until she gets acclimated. Getting used to this is the last thing she wants to do, however -- she wants it fixed, and she wants it fixed NOW. She balls up her tiny fists and screams, not that anyone can hear her. Then, suddenly, she's saved! Her brother scoops her up, and she's never been so happy to see him. Maybe she'll even be nice to him for a couple of days? Nah... While Zandar and Zarana are dealing with their little problem (heh), Viper 4991 is dealing with the fact that he just can't seem to aim today. Must be the tear gas, or maybe he forgot to calibrate the sights on his rifle, or maybe he just sucks that badly? Probably the latter, given his tra- oh ow god why is there a knife in his shoulder!? Falling into the valley in the ground with the time-honored traditional scream, the Viper is lost to the night, possibly to escape, possibly to be captured, who knows. The other Vipers try to encircle Surefire and kick him from all angles in unison, but it's little use as the CID agent continues to tear through them, using his flashlight as a club and taking them out one by one. >> Viper Squad 1426 misses Surefire with Kick. << Surefire battles them all until only one other Viper besides 4991 is left, the rest lying unconscious, dead, or moaning in pain. Surefire circles this last Viper, knife in one hand, flashlight in the other. The Viper slashes at him with the butt of her rifle, but Surefire fades back, avoiding the hit. Before she can recover he steps in, attempting to end this now with a fearsome stab to the gut. The people of New York are suffering, and Surefire is not playing around. >> Surefire strikes Viper Squad 1426 with Knife. << Viper Squad 1426 is overcome by injuries, losing consciousness. The black visor reveals nothing. Cal stands stock still and says, "You a special kinda stupid or you go for classes? My MASK's bio-chipped to me. No one else can use it. If I die, Gulliver dies with me. Also, looks like some of your boys are pulling out or out cold anyway. You ever play eye for an eye? Everyone ends up blind. Tell you what." Cal takes a deep breath and says "GULLIVER! TRACK EXISTING ENERGY SIGNATURE!" The mask beeps. A light points to the miniaturized lil lady. "GULLIVER. SHRINK. TIME DELAY TEN SECONDS." Cold and impassive the MASKed man stands utterly without emotion or tell. Zandar considers the situation. By now, New York is well on its way to anarchy and ruin. So that objective has been reached, for Hannibal. A small smile forms on his face. Then there is the matter of Zarana--Zandar is terrified at those words and covers his siter with both arms, "All right!" he responds, sweat pouring down his frightened face, "We'll retreat," he shouts to whomever is still left alive, "Dreadnoks, RETREAT!" He sets Zarana down quickly but gently, "Don't kill her," he says desparately, "I've done as you demanded. Now save her life." Surefire finishes with the Vipers, and approaches the Raven to check on Calhoun. However, finding that Burns has things well in-hand, he doesn't interrupt, letting things play out between the Dreadnok and the agent of MASK. A HUD's a handy thing. 9.something-ish seconds into the count Cal says "CANCEL. GULLIVER... GROW." After the size has returned to normal Cal Stands as impassive as before. "Y'all can go now. No invitation needed. Oh, and y'all come back sometime, y'hear?" In case there was a sudden change of heart Cal pulls a black box with a flashing red light out and holds it like a deadman switch. You never know, y'know? Zarana is returned to her normal size, but is completely drained and disoriented be the experience. This time she truly lets her brother take charge, and lead her back to their secret base. Surefire had been set on arresting those two, but with New York burning, there just isn't time. "Good job, Burns," he says sincerely. "Now let's go save New York." Zandar carefully assists Zarana onto his bike and revs it. The Joes are completely forgotten. Full of relief, Zandar heads back home. Mission accomplished. Once all are out of sight Cal sags with relief and pats Surefire on the back. He explains, "A torch is a dangerous thing in the wrong hands..." His MASK beeps and the same light from before comes on. "Should been straight shootin' with 'em but Gulliver can't do that. I fibbed. You can report me." Putting the box away Cal feels the question and answers it, "Spare battery for Gulliver. Now lets saddle up and get going to the next one!" Surefire laughs when he finds out it was all a bluff. "Calhoun, you're all right." He smiles tiredly, and, hand over his still-bleeding wound, leads Burns to the next fight. =)